Additional refinements in the synthetic route (previously reported) have been demonstrated which include a simple racemization of the undesired enantiomer of an intermediate and vastly improved conditions for the Birch reduction. Introduction of an N-chloroacetyl protecting function has provided a highly crystalline easily isolated, Grewe cyclization product which can be readily be cleaved by acid hydrolysis nearly quantitatively to chiral 1-bromonordihydrothebainone.